The Queen watches The Script perform live during Radio 1 visit

Royalty descends on the Radio 1 Live Lounge during a visit to re-open Broadcasting House

BBC

The Queen paid a visit to Radio 1 this morning (June 7) and watched The Script perform in the Live Lounge.

The monarch’s stop-off at Radio 1 was part of her visit to officially open the BBC’s rebuilt Broadcasting House and she also called into the BBC newsroom and Radio 4. The Duke of Edinburgh had been expected to accompany her but was unable to attend after being admitted to hospital on Thursday (June 6) for abdominal surgery.

During her time at Radio 1 The Queen met presenters including Nick Grimshaw and Sara Cox before watching The Script – whose lead singer Danny O’Donoghue is also a coach on BBC1’s The Voice – perform in The Live Lounge.

Her visit to Broadcasting House continued as she met Fran Unsworth, the BBC’s acting director of news, who introduced her to Radio 4 staff including Today presenter John Humphrys. Later today, The Queen will meet people who were involved in the broadcast of her Coronation in 1953, which took place 60 years ago this week. The Queen will even get to see a TV camera used in the original filming.

Broadcasting House recently underwent an extensive redesign to accommodate staff who’ve been moved from Television Centre in West London, which has now been decommissioned. The new and improved Broadcasting House now houses nine radio networks, three 24-hour TV news channels and is the main workplace for 6,000 members of BBC staff.